In what is the single biggest advertising pitch for an Irish company, Tourism Ireland has put its global creative, media and digital account out to pitch.
Tourism Ireland has been working with Publicis London, Carat and iProspect for the last number of years. When Publicis London won the creative account back in 2011, it was speculated at the time that it was worth in the region of €50m over its duration. The agency won the business following a pitch against Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Saatchi & Saatchi and JWT London, which had been the incumbent on the account since 2005. At the time, Agency Insight handled the process but this time around Creativebrief is advising the company.
It is expected that Publicis London will re-tender for the account, given that it has created numerous award-winning campaigns for Tourism Ireland over the past few years, including several Cannes Lions awards. A final decision on the winning agencies is expected to be made in April or May of 2018.
Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland (including the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) as a leisure destination on a global scale. The organisation is searching for agencies to partner with it in growing brand awareness, engagement and subsequently visitor numbers. The media agency will deliver best in class media planning and buying, both centrally and across all local markets (in particular: the US, GB, Germany France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, The Netherlands and Scandinavia).
According to Tourism Ireland’s Central Marketing Director Mark Henry: “At Tourism Ireland, we constantly look to challenge our own thinking and drive innovation. In 2016, our output led to 10.3 million visitors from overseas, delivering revenue of approximately €5.3 billion. Our aim is to build on the strong foundations we already have and a part of that is ensuring we have the right agency partners in place. A collaborative approach is key as we seek like-minded, enthusiastic and committed people with a culture of openness, cooperation and dedication. Tourism Ireland, assisted by Creativebrief, is working hard to find agencies who will work in a joined-up manner to deliver an integrated approach to marketing the brand.”
Agencies who wish to register their interest should visit www.etenders.gov.ie.
